The First Easter Basket
by BoomerCat
Summary: Pure Easter Fluffiness. Jack prepares an Easter surprise for four-year-old Daniel. A Littleverse story.


Jack O'Neill sat at his breakfast table, coffee mug in hand, listening hard. Glancing up at the clock, he blew out a breath in frustration. It was almost nine a.m. and he'd been up since before dawn preparing. Now all he could do was sit and wait. Waiting was not something he did well.

Jack had his ear cocked, listening for even the slightest sound, so when his phone rang, he jumped at least a foot. He reached to snatch it up, but then held his hand back. He let it ring twice more before lifting the receiver, disappointed that the loud ring hadn't had any effect.

"O'Neill."

"Sir, it's me. So, how was it?"

Slightly annoyed, Jack responded, "How was what, Carter?"

"You know… when he found his Easter basket. Was he surprised, sir?"

Heaving a sigh, Jack shook his head. "He hasn't gotten up yet."

"Really? Wow. I mean, I was always up before dawn on Easter. I couldn't wait to see what the Easter Bunny brought."

"Well, that's because you were a normal kid, Carter. Normal kids get excited about things like the Easter Bunny."

"Sir… Daniel is a normal kid. He's just had a few hard days."

Jack knew Carter was right. After the shock of having his teammate shrunk into a four-year-old package, with no memory of his adult self, Jack had decided to personally insure that this time around, Daniel had a good, no, great, childhood.

It had been an almost instantaneous decision on his part, but the powers that be had taken longer to realize that poking and prodding a four-year-old kid wasn't going to advance anybody's political career. After almost a week in the clutches of the NID's medical staff, General Hammond had finally convinced the president that Daniel was just a little boy in need of safety and love.

Jack intended to see that the kid got both, but for the moment, he was just irked that Daniel was still asleep.

"Yeah, I know. Listen, why don't you grab Teal'c and come on over. At the rate it's going, you'll be here before he's awake."

"Oh, that'd be great, sir! Give us thirty minutes!"

"Yeahsureyoubetcha. Hell, you could get here this afternoon, and still probably have time for a snack before he wakes up."

Carter laughed then said her good-byes, leaving Jack to wait for his friend… ward? … to wake up. After a few moments, he got up and started a new pot of coffee. Finishing that chore, he walked out into the living room, and looked around. He nodded in satisfaction. The basket was well hidden. A glance out the window showed bright colors strewn throughout the grass.

Jack had been of two minds about setting up the Easter egg hunt in the backyard, but the day had come up bright and warm, a blessing in springtime Colorado. He paused for a moment, wondering if maybe he had gone overboard. Naw. You could never have too many Easter eggs.

He turned his back on the window, facing the hallway, straining his ears. After a moment's thought, he decided to go the bathroom. He passed the guest bathroom without any qualms at all, treading heavily through the house. He reached the master bathroom, and without a pause, flushed the toilet. Then flushed it two more times for good measure. Listening hard, there was no sound at all. In a pique, he flushed once more and stomped back down the hallway, coming to a stop outside the guestroom. He put his ear to the door, then with a sudden frown, opened it up.

The nascent fear evaporated as he saw the little boy still sound asleep in his bed. Jack shook his head. There was no reason for the child to have been stolen. After a moment, he moved over to the bed, and sat down, reaching out with his fingers to brush aside the soft blond hair. Tumbled up in the blankets, Daniel was warm, but not unreasonably so.

Jack gently disentangled the chubby small limbs from the blankets. Finally, with a tiny frown, the boy awoke with a deep breath.

"Hey, sleepyhead! I thought you were going to sleep all day long."

Two little fists came up to rub sleepy eyes, then paused as a huge yawn took up all of Daniel's energy.

"You about ready to get up?"

Daniel nodded, reaching up with his arms. It was the most natural thing in the world to take the child into his arms. Standing with the boy clinging like a limpet, Jack smiled. "You want some breakfast? I've got blueberry pancakes."

"Wif syrup?"

"Oh, I suppose I can rustle up some syrup."

That got a tentative smile, but then the boy was squirming in an implicit demand to be set down. Jack was surprised at how little he wanted to let the boy go, but reluctantly he relinquished his hold. Once on the floor, the reason for his sudden change of heart became obvious as Daniel bent over, holding his privates. "I gotta go!"

"All right, Sport. It's right down the hall, remember?"

Daniel took off in that hunched over way that bespoke of great need. Jack smiled fondly as he watched him go. He went back into the bedroom, and twitched the covers back into place. Looking around, he realized he'd have to do something about this room. It was fine as an occasional place to crash for an adult, but it was far from the kind of room a kid needed.

Jack turned at a small sound behind him. Daniel stood in the doorway, head hanging, a tear in his big blue eyes. "Danny, what's wrong?"

Wringing his hands, the little boy suddenly wailed, "I made a mess."

His heart twisted at the boy's anguish, and Jack couldn't help but respond. Despite the twinge in his knees, he crouched down and opened his arms. Daniel flung himself into that safe haven, bawling his eyes out.

"Hey now, take it easy. It's okay, Danny." Jack held the boy, rubbing his back, hushing him. After a few moments the sobs became sniffles, and Jack pulled back, a finger lifting the little chin. Smiling, he shrugged, "You know the great thing about messes? They can be cleaned up. Let's just go take a look at this mess of yours."

Pushing himself up, Jack ignored his creaking knees, and held out his hand. Still ashamed, Daniel took the hand, and head down, led the way back to the bathroom. Jack could see the yellow liquid puddled on the floor. "That's it? That's the big to-do? Well, that's just hardly nothing. I'll tell you what, Sport. You go get your clothes on, and I'll get this cleaned up lickety-split."

Daniel looked up, his blue eyes still watery, and nodded his head. He dragged himself back to his room, a study in tragedy. Affection flooded over Jack and he shook his head and turned to the puddle in the bathroom. A couple of paper towels from beneath the sink made short work of the mess, and Jack made a mental note to get a small step stool.

Jack moved back to the bedroom and added easier clothes to his list. Daniel had managed to pull on his pants, but the buttons of the shirt were foiling his attempts at doing them up. Knowing that frustration would bring on more tears, Jack sat on the bed. "Come here, you."

Still tentative, Daniel came close and Jack picked him up and set him on his lap. Having handled the buttons on the shirt, he helped put on Daniel's shoes and socks, marveling at the tiny size of them. As he finished tying the little sneakers, he said casually, "You know, I was a little surprised you slept so long, it being Easter and all."

It took a moment, but then the blue eyes flew wide. In a little voice filled with awe, Danny asked, "Did th' Easser Bunny come?"

Jack frowned. "Wait. The Easter Bunny? I thought Easter was when Santa came."

The tousled blond hair flew with the vehement shaking of Daniel's head. "No, no. It's the Easser Bunny."

"Oh. Well, maybe you should look under your pillow."

Confused, the boy looked toward his pillow, before turning back with a puzzled frown. "Huh?"

"Well, isn't that where the Easter Bunny leaves a quarter when you lose a tooth?"

Enlightened, the boy explained with exaggerated patience. "No, that's the toof fairy."

"Oh, right, right. Well, then what does the Easter Bunny do?"

"The Easser Bunny bwings you a basket wif eggs in it."

"Eggs? Scrambled or poached?"

Finally catching on, Daniel giggled. "No, he bwings decorated eggs."

"Oh. So the Easter Bunny brings eggs that have served their country. I hope I get one with a silver star or maybe a purple heart with oak leaf clusters."

That one went right over the four-year-old's head. He was still trying to puzzle it out when the doorbell rang. Daniel froze and whispered, "Maybe dat's th' Easser Bunny."

Jack stood up. "Well good. I want my oak leaf clusters."

He headed to the front door, trusting in Daniel's curiosity to cause him to follow. Reaching the door, he opened it to find his teammates standing there, their arms filled with packages.

"Well, this is a disappointment," Jack said wryly.

"Sir?"

"Daniel thought it might be the Easter Bunny come to call."

Sam's smile brightened. "He's awake?"

Peeking around the door, Daniel said shyly, "Hi."

"Daniel! Good morning!"

"Well, come on in, you two. Put that stuff on the kitchen table. Have you eaten? Danny's going to have pancakes with syrup. There's plenty for all."

Dumping their packages on the table, Sam asked for tea, while Teal'c crouched down to Daniel's eye level. "Daniel Jackson, has the rodent bestowed his gifts upon you?"

Like any four-year-old, Daniel zeroed in on the important word. "Gifts? Presents? You gots me presents?"

Teal'c cocked an eyebrow. "I understood that to be the prerogative of the seasonal rodent."

Daniel just stared. Sam snickered, and Jack clarified. "Danny, he's saying he thought it was the Easter Bunny that brings the presents."

"Oh! No, Teal'c, the Easser Bunny just bwings Easser baskets. Wif eggs. Oh! An' a chokwit bunny too."

Teal'c nodded sagely. "May I see this basket?"

Daniel's eyes widened, and he looked wildly around the kitchen. "I don't know if th' Easser Bunny came. I gotta go see."

The three adult teammates followed the little boy to the living room. He stood in the middle of the room, looking around, and finally, his shoulders slumped. He shook his head forlornly. "I don't think he came."

Jack rolled his eyes. The testing the NID had done had proved that Daniel's phenomenal intelligence was still intact, but the kid sure wasn't showing it at the moment. "Danny, you think the Easter Bunny is just going to leave a big expensive basket laying around where just any Jaffa could steal a jelly bean? No, he's got it hidden somewhere. You've just got to search for it."

Surprised enlightenment filled the big blue eyes, and the little boy stood, looking around the room for possible hiding places. Deciding, he moved first to the sofa. Getting down on his hands and knees, he looked under it. Not finding anything, he next moved to the covered candy dish that Jack kept on the coffee table. When he found nothing there, he lifted the magazines on the table to check under them.

Sam's eyes were watering in her effort to keep from laughing out loud. Teal'c, of course, was like a patient statue, watching the proceedings with a massive calm. Jack wasn't sure if Daniel's efforts were funny, or just sad.

Finally, the boy moved over to the recliner in the corner, saving Jack from having to blurt out directions. After first checking under it, and then under the cushions, Daniel moved to check behind the chair. The reaction was everything Jack could have wanted.

The little boy first glanced behind the chair and started to move away, but then stood stock still and moved back. He stood staring, his little jaw dropping. Finally, he just looked over at the three teammates, and pointed mutely.

"What's the matter, Danny? Is there something behind that chair?"

Daniel looked back to the chair and just nodded, totally speechless.

"Well, why don't you bring it on out here, and show us?"

The little boy was practically hyperventilating at this point, and suddenly, he disappeared behind the chair. The teammates heard a series of grunts as the little boy tried to bring his prize out from behind the recliner. After a moment, Teal'c strode over, saying, "Perhaps I can assist you, Daniel Jackson."

The big Jaffa reached behind the chair and with visible effort, lifted out an Easter basket. Sam's eyes flew wide, and she looked her commander with disbelief. Jack caught the look and shrugged, "It's his first Easter basket. I wanted it to be memorable."

Memorable was an understatement. The basket towered over the boy. The huge chocolate bunny was at least three inches taller than Daniel. When empty, the basket itself could probably provide a bed for the kid in a pinch. But it wasn't empty.

Jack had filled the basket with every toy and candy he could think of. The 40" chocolate bunny was just the beginning. There were rafts of peeps, shoals of jellybeans, whole fleets of chocolate marshmallow eggs. There was a huge stuffed bunny, coloring books and crayons, little matchbox cars, and balsa wood gliders. One corner was decorated by a colorful kite, another had kid-sized gardening tools, and an adventurer's set including a plastic canteen and pith helmet.

Realizing the kid was overwhelmed, Jack said, "Well, I guess next year, you'll know not to look under the couch, huh?"

Surprisingly, the little boy started to giggle, nodding his head. Sam in the meantime was shaking hers. "Wow."

Teal'c nodded his head. "The seasonal rodent has fulfilled his obligation to you, Daniel Jackson."

Jack had a definite impression that had the Easter Bunny failed in Teal'c's estimation there would have been bloodshed. Shaking his head, Jack said, "Who's for blueberry pancakes?"

Danny looked up, his face wreathed in delight. "Me!"

Jack led the way to the kitchen, smug in his knowledge that this Easter would be memorable for them all.


End file.
